History of Virginia Beach High School Virginia Honor Bands
Princess Anne: 23
(82/83, 83/84, 88/89, 89/90, 92/93 – 94/95, 97/98, 02/03, 05/06 – 10/11, 12/13, 14/15 – 18/19, 21/22, 22/23)
Kempsville: 20
(83/84 – 92/93, 94/95 – 99/00, 03/04, 04/05, 06/07, 10/11)
Tallwood: 15
(93/94 – 95/96, 08/09 — 18/19, 21/22)
Frank W. Cox: 14
(96/97, 97/98, 99/00, 05/06, 07/08, 08/09, 10/11, 14/15 – 18/19, 21/22, 22/23)
Ocean Lakes: 12
(96/97, 06/07 – 10/11, 12/13, 15/16 – 18/19, 21/22)
Kellam: 11
(91/92, 95/96, 97/98, 99/00, 02/03, 03/04, 05/06 – 08/09, 17/18, 18/19)
Green Run: 5
(81/82 – 83/84, 86/87, 87/88)
Salem: 5
(90/91, 93/94 – 95/96, 18/19)
First Colonial: 3
(94/95 – 96/97)
Landstown: 2
(16/17, 18/19)
Bayside: 0
History of Virginia Beach Honor Band Directors
- John Boyd: 15 (Princess Anne) (active)
- Tim Rossettini: 12 (Tallwood) (active)
- Mike Lane: 11 (1 @ Kellam, 10 @ Cox) (active)
- Michael King: 6 (2 @ FC, 4 @ Kempsville)
- Leah (Greber) Nelson: 5 (Ocean Lakes)
- Ron Collins, Sr.: 5 (Green Run)
- Alan Sharps: 5 (4 @ PA, 1 @ Ocean Lakes)
- John Hamilton: 4 (Salem High)
- Bill Pease: 4 (Kempsville, now at University of Virginia)
- Mark Reimer: 4 (Kempsville, now at Christopher Newport University)
- Cameron Baker: 4 (Kellam) (active)
- Woody Gehlert: 4 (2 @ Princess Anne, 2 @ Landstown) (active)
- Michael Parker: 3 (Ocean Lakes) (active)
- Tim Gauldin: 3 (2 at Cox, 1 at Kempsville)
- Richard Good: 3 (Kempsville, now at Auburn University)
- Dwight Leonard: 3 (Tallwood)
- Bryan Wills: 3 (2 @ Cox, 1 @ Kempsville)
- Pat Burke: 3 (Kellam)
- Ryan Rowles 2 (Ocean Lakes)
- Jaraun Ransome: 2 (Kellam… more with schools outside the Beach)
- Chris Smith: 2 (Kempsville… more with schools outside the Beach)
- Joe Ligart: 2 (Princess Anne)
- Andrew Smith: 1 (Salem) (active)
- Jonathan Schiffler: 1 (Ocean Lakes) (now teaches at Freedom HS)
- David Terray: 1 (Tallwood) (now teaches at Larkspur MS)
- Ronald Scott: 1 (Kempsville)
- Doug Armstrong: 1 (First Colonial… more with schools outside the Beach)
- Frank Chlorie: 1 (Kellam… more with schools outside the Beach)
Virginia Beach Virginia Honor Band Trivia:
- The first VA Honor Band from Virginia Beach was Green Run High School (1981, under the direction of Ronald J. Collins, Sr.). Princess Anne (82), and Kempsville (83) followed suit.
- Kempsville was a Virginia Honor Band continuously for 10 years (formerly tied with Tallwood as the longest stretch in VB history), missed it 1 year, and then went on another 6 year streak. Tallwood earned the distinction of Virginia Honor Band for 12 years in a row (2008 – 2019, and again in 2021/2022 after Virginia Honor Band was paused during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic)!
- 3 of Kempsville’s Honor Band Directors have gone on to teach college band programs (Richard Good at Auburn, Bill Pease at Western Michigan and then the University of Virginia, Mark Reimer at Christopher Newport University).
- 6 VA Beach band directors directed Virginia Honor Bands at multiple VA Beach high schools (Mike King: First Colonial and Kempsville… Alan Sharps: Princess Anne and Ocean Lakes… Mike Lane: Kellam and Frank W. Cox… Tim Gauldin: Frank W. Cox and Kempsville… Bryan Wills: Frank W. Cox and Kempsville… and Woody Gehlert: Princess Anne and Landstown).
- 8 different band directors have directed a Virginia Honor Band at Kempsville (Ronald Scott, Richard Good, Mark Reimer, Bill Pease, Mike King, Chris Smith, Bryan Wills, Tim Gauldin).
- Two Virginia Beach High Schools (Green Run and Landstown) have each only had one person as an Honor Band director: Ronald Collins (Green Run) and Woody Gehlert (Landstown).
- Ronald J. Collins, Sr. — who’s name with Princess Anne was synonymous with great band in the 60’s and 70’s and then Green Run in the 80’s and early 90’s — earned all of his Honor Bands at Green Run.
- John Boyd (Princess Anne), Tim Rossettini (Tallwood), Leah (Greber) Nelson (Ocean Lakes), Ronald Collins (Green Run), Bill Pease (Kempsville), Mark Reimer (Kempsville), Rich Good (Kempsville), Dwight Leonard (Tallwood), Pat Burke (Kellam), Cameron Baker (Kellam), Jaraun Ransome (Kellam), Chris Smith (Kempsville), Joe Ligart (Princess Anne), Michael Parker (Ocean Lakes), and Ryan Rowles (Ocean Lakes) all directed multiple Virginia Honor Bands at only one school during their tenure in Virginia Beach.
- All 4 of Princess Anne’s Honor Band Directors directed multiple Honor Bands at PA: Joe Ligart (2), Alan Sharps (4), Woody Gehlert (2), and John Boyd (14).
- Only 1 school (Tallwood, 1995-1996) had two Virginia Honor Band Directors in the same year: Dwight Leonard (Head Director) and David Terray (Assistant Director).
- Number of different Honor Band directors for each school: Kempsville (8), Kellam (5), Ocean Lakes (5), Princess Anne (4), First Colonial (3), Frank W. Cox (3), Tallwood (3), Salem (2), Green Run (1), Landstown (1), Bayside (0).
- In the school years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, the COVID19 virus caused a global pandemic that shut down schools and required virtual teaching of the students. The Virginia Honor Band designation was suspended for two years (except for bands who were scheduled to perform the last weekend of February in 2020 as they were able to complete the requirements for Honor Band for 2019-2020).